Duraflame firelogs are going green

Thursday

Nov 22, 2007 at 12:01 AM

STOCKTON - Back in 1969, California Cedar Products Co. figured out a clever way to dispose of the tons of sawdust it generated in making wood-pencil slats: Mix the powder with petroleum wax, itself a byproduct of oil refining, to produce long-burning logs.

Reed Fujii

STOCKTON - Back in 1969, California Cedar Products Co. figured out a clever way to dispose of the tons of sawdust it generated in making wood-pencil slats: Mix the powder with petroleum wax, itself a byproduct of oil refining, to produce long-burning logs.

Thus was born Duraflame Inc., today the top-selling brand of artificial firelogs.

But time brings change. After Cal Cedar's pencil-slat operation was moved to China in 2001, Duraflame needed to find new sources of fiber for its firelogs. That led it to establish plants in Somerset, Ky., and Ontario, Canada, to tap other sources of sawdust. Logs made in Stockton incorporate a varying mix of materials, including ground almond and walnut shells from California orchards.

And now, Duraflame officials said they will use only plant-based waxes in their branded firelog products, eliminating consumption of 100 million pounds of petroleum wax per year.

What was once a niche product has turned mainstream, particularly with major U.S. retailers such as Wal-Mart launching corporate initiatives to offer and promote more Earth-friendly products.

"We started on this about 5 years ago with the idea of trying to make a truly sustainable, 100 percent renewable sort of product," said Chris Caron, vice president of brand development. Dubbed the all-natural firelog, it was sold primarily though green-conscious retailers such as Whole Foods Markets and Trader Joe's.

"What's happened in recent years is that whole organic and healthy living lifestyle has mushroomed in popularity," he said.

Going to all renewable materials has led to strong gains for the Stockton company. Caron said Safeway expanded its offering of Duraflame products and it is Home Depot's sole supplier for wood-based firelogs.

"Retailer reaction has been very good. I think our timing has been very good in making this transition," he said. "We picked up what we believe is 25 percent incremental share in distribution. It was pretty significant."

Privately held Duraflame does not detail its sales or production figures.

What Duraflame calls biowax is also known as vegetable paraffin, various waxy materials typically made from soy or palm oil or wood resins.

Over the long term, there is not much difference in cost between plant-based or petroleum waxes, particularly as the materials used for biowax are increasingly valued for producing motor fuels, such as ethanol or biodiesel.

"Biofuels and petroleum seem to be marching in lockstep in price, because they are feeding on each other," Caron said.

The primary advantage of the plant-based waxes is that they are from a renewable resource and carbon-neutral in terms of adding to carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. That's because soy plants or pine trees, for example, take carbon dioxide from the air to produce oil and resins. In contrast, burning petroleum wax releases carbon trapped underground for millennia.

While not addressing the issue of global warming gases, clean-air officials show preference for artificial firelogs over natural wood when consumers want to light a cozy fireplace or outdoor fire.

Duraflame says a 6-pound firelog will burn for three to four hours, while a natural-wood fire might consume 30 pounds of material over the same span.

"It's just more efficient," Caron said, comparing it to the difference between driving a hybrid car or a Hummer. "You get the same utility of transportation, but it's just far more efficient.